Collaboration in Action
Collaboration in Action
You Can’t Afford to Go It Alone
There’s a lot of talk in business circles about collaboration. We hear it on stages. We quote it in leadership manuals. We nod at it when someone says, “We should all work together more.”
But when the pressure mounts, the finances strain, or things start to wobble, that’s when real collaboration either shows up… or it doesn’t.
⚙️ A Case That Illustrates the Risk
Recently, a business engaged me to help with a turnaround. They were bleeding cash, taking on debt, and seemed close to burnout. They needed more than ideas, they needed direction, energy, and execution support.
I turned to Karl Gjertsen, a trusted peer in the ForeBusiness network, and together we did what we do best:
- Dissected their contracts and employment models
- Restructured service lines
- Mapped out fresh revenue paths
- Created a strategy to help stabilise and grow
The strategy was solid. The framework was clear. The potential was real.
But the follow-through was inconsistent. Communication lagged. Execution was half-hearted. The business is still in trouble, not because there was no plan, but because the plan lacked sustained collaborative engagement.
Here’s the takeaway: even the best collaboration is useless if action doesn’t follow.
🤝 Collaboration That Builds Resilience
Yet, this story isn’t about failure. It’s about what collaboration should look like, and how it strengthens us all.
Karl and I deepened our work rhythms, learned how each of us operates, and sharpened our ability to respond quickly in future. We didn’t “win” this one. But we levelled up for the next.
This is the kind of collaboration that builds muscle for the inevitable next challenge.
💬 Collaboration from Stage to Strategy
Recently, I was at the Professional Speaking Association (PSA UK&I) conference. The theme? Collaboration in action. The talk wasn’t just conceptual, it was being practiced. People co-created sessions, endorsed each other’s work, and launched new impulses together.
In ForeBusiness, on the golf course or in the clubhouse, the best ideas often come during the walk, not the meeting. It’s those casual conversations that spark opportunity.
Within my own Mental Wealth team and @Bart Dalton – you don’t always see collaboration coming. Sometimes it just emerges, in a moment, a question, a connection.
🧠 Masterminds and Peer Support Matter
If you still think collaboration is optional, you’ll keep running solo until something breaks.
Masterminds and peer support groups aren’t nice extras, they’re essential tools if you want to grow, stay sharp, and avoid leading in isolation. This isn’t about fluffy networking or another coffee club. Done right, masterminding gives you structured challenge, high-trust accountability, and brutally honest feedback from people who get it.
If you’ve never been part of one, try it. If you’ve drifted from one, get back in. These are the rooms where momentum, direction, and Mental Wealth are built, and where leaders stop pretending they’ve got it all figured out.
🛠 Resilience Through People, Not Power
When I talk about Business Resilience, I don’t mean “weather the storm.” I mean building systems, relationships, and support before the storm hits.
That means:
- A network you can call when things wobble
- People who challenge your thinking, not just affirm it
- Trusted collaborators who’ve seen your patterns and your blind spots
- The humility to act early, not wait until failure forces your hand
I always refer to the principles of your Mental Wealth Team, those people who back you, sharpen your thinking, and help you act with clarity. If you treat collaboration as optional, you’re doing it wrong.
🎯 Takeaways for Anyone Ready to Collaborate Better
- Begin early
Crisis is not the time to start building bridges. Build them now. - Use your communities
Whether it’s PSA, #ForeBusiness, or peer groups, reach out. Use what you already belong to. - Be vulnerable about what you don’t know
Pride kills collaboration. Admitting limits is the door to insight. - Convert talk into action
Ideas without execution are just noise. - Pick up the phone
Sometimes the smallest outreach starts the biggest chain of transformation.
🧭 Final Word
Collaboration is not a nice-to-have. If you’re running your business solo – stop now.
If you’re holding back challenges in silence – share them.
If you’ve got a community, connection, network – use it, Talk – Ask!
Because the collaboration that changes your business often starts before you knew you needed it.
📚 Further Reading – On Masterminding, Peer Support, and Collaboration
- Mastermind Groups: A New Peer Support Format to Help EAs Aim Higher
(Forum Effective Altruism – explains the structure and value of mastermind groups for high performers)
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/3rAjQd8jCo6BGumie/mastermind-groups-a-new-peer-support-format-to-help-eas-aim - Mastermind Groups: Discover Business Blind Spots and Make Better Decisions
(Deliberate Directions – a business leadership coaching firm outlining why mastermind groups help reduce isolation and improve performance)
https://deliberatedirections.com/mastermind-groups-business-blind-spots/ - How to Run a Successful Mastermind Group
(Harvard Business Review – classic article covering the power of peer advisory groups and accountability circles)
https://hbr.org/2019/05/how-to-run-a-successful-mastermind-group - Why Peer Support Is the Secret Weapon of Successful Entrepreneurs
(Entrepreneur Magazine – explores how structured peer support builds resilience, especially for founders and execs)
https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/why-peer-support-is-the-secret-weapon-of-successful/440567 - The Power of Peer Groups: The CEO Secret to Growth and Accountability
(Vistage – global peer advisory organisation showing the ROI of peer support at leadership level)
https://www.vistage.com/research-center/business-growth-strategy/20200107-the-power-of-peer-groups/
#CollaborationInAction #BusinessResilience #MentalWealth #ForeBusiness #PSAUKI #MastermindGroups #PeerSupport